In Memorium
by QueenCate
Summary: Veronica remembers Lilly on the second anniversary of her death. This is basically about the Veronica's way of dealing with it, and a little about Duncan and Logan's ways too.


The bells tolled high above her head, reminding Veronica of the horrible day two years earlier when the center of so many universes, including her own, was snatched forever from their lives, leaving them as empty and lifeless as her own still body. The bells had tolled for several minutes the following day at Lilly's supposed time of death, sending out a tune of melancholy and loss that pulled all of Neptune to a halt as they recalled the previous day's tragedy and as those who knew her reminisced with sad smiles.

Climbing the stone steps, Veronica hesitated, hand hovering over the door handle as she contemplated turning around and forgetting the idea entirely. Lilly's laughter echoed in her ears, strengthening Veronica's resolve. With a deep breath, she firmly grasped the handle and yanked the heavy wooden door open. The soft sound of hymns filled her ears as Veronica quietly walked down the aisle to an empty pew near the front, trying to not to disturb the Mass in progress. The priest glanced up as she took her seat and gave her what seemed to be an understanding look. Of course he recognized her. She had been on every news channel for months, first for solving Lilly's murder, then for her relationship with Logan and his trial, and finally for her near miss with the bus accident.

Veronica knelt and bowed her head, resting her forehead on her folded hands. She realized how odd it was that she, of all people, was in a church, after everything she had been though, it would be entirely understandable if Veronica had lost faith and turned away from the Church. But there was something comforting in the belief that there was a greater being somewhere out there and that he was watching over her and helping her through the many challenges she faced daily. It didn't matter if God was real or not. Just the belief alone was enough to help her through the tough stuff. The Mass ended but Veronica didn't budge from her spot in the pew. As she knelt, Veronica recalled the school day.

_The school was quieter than usual. Not silent – far from it – but it wasn't the nearly deafening roar that usually filled the halls and quad. The date struck everyone hard, even those who didn't know Lilly, for they all knew of her and that was enough to make them grieve for the girl who had brightened up so many days and entertained hundreds with her in and out of class antics. Not all of them had liked Lilly Kane but they all missed her. The freshmen and sophomores were the least affected as they had never attended classes with Lilly but even they were mindful of the date and most kept quiet in respect for their older classmates' grief. One freshman, however, dared to mess around near the large blow-up picture of Lilly in the front hall. He playfully pushed his friend, knocking him into the picture. The golden frame tumbled off the stand, the glass shattering as it hit the ground. The students already in the front hall stared in stunned silence. Others came running to catch what was sure to be a big scene._

_Logan walked out of a classroom, took one look at the picture, and he had the freshman pinned to the wall in a heartbeat. He was screaming at the terrified kid when Veronica and Duncan walked up. The crowd grew deathly silent at the sight of Lilly's brother and best friend. After a moment, Logan paused to take a breath, raising his fist as he did, but looked around as he noticed no was screaming "Fight!" as per usual. His eyes came to a rest on the newly arrived couple, straying to their interlocked fingers for a moment, but they held their ground and squeezed each other's hands tighter. Logan's lips stretched into their familiar smirk but both could see something was missing as he taunted, "Well look who's here! Ready to play Superman and save the poor little freshman, Duncan? Or is Nancy Drew here gonna do the saving this time?"_

"_Let him go, Logan," Veronica said softly. "He didn't mean anything by it." She forced herself not to look at Lilly's laughing face smiling up at her from its cracked frame. Instead she dropped Duncan's hand and took a step forward._

"_Aww, how sweet, you have a crush on the freshman!" Logan cooed._

_Veronica struggled to resist the urge to roll her eyes and answered sarcastically, "Yeah, you caught me. I'm warm for his form."_

_The crowd snickered but Logan silenced then with a deadly glare. He stared disgustedly at the freshman for a second before pushing him away. "Scram, kid. You're not worth it."_

_Shaking his head, the freshman muttered, "Freaks, you're all freaks. The girl was a slut."_

_An instant later, his head snapped back as he had been slapped. Because he had been. Veronica stared at the kid angrily, her hand stinging from the force of her slap, but no one spoke about Lilly like that in front of her and got away with it. She took Duncan's hand and led him from the school, leaving the stunned crowd staring after her for a moment before they took off to spread the story to any one who happened to miss it._

Veronica felt bad for the freshman but was also proud of herself for sticking up for Lilly. Thinking of Lilly reminded her of Meg and the others who had been on the bus. She had to figure what happened to them, for Meg's sake. Sort of like a penance. A hand on her shoulder pulled Veronica from her thoughts. She glanced up and felt a small smile stretch across her face. "Hey, you."

"Hey," Duncan whispered, taking her hand and leading her to the front of the empty church. Their footsteps echoed off the cavernous walls as they approached the group of lit and unlit candles. Duncan pointed to one near the front of the group that had something carved in it. Veronica bent down and read the inscription. In Memoriam: Lilly Kane. She smiled sadly and took the match book Duncan offered her, striking a match on the side of the box. Then Duncan's hand closed on her own hand and together they lit Lilly's candle. They stared at the flame for a moment, mesmerized by it intoxicating beauty. It reminded them of the fire that had been taken from them the day Lilly left their lives.

"C'mon, let's go," Veronica said after a minute, knowing that if she stayed much longer she might never be able to leave. Duncan nodded mutely, reluctantly tearing his eyes from the flame. Linking hands, they left the church, each lost in their own thoughts. As the couple descended the stairs, a bright yellow vehicle across the street caught Veronica's eye and she smiled softly. She knew Logan wouldn't go in, but it was a start. He caught her eye and offered a small half smile before gunning his engine and driving off.

"Was that –" Duncan asked.

"Yeah."

Duncan nodded. "Good for him." After a moment he added, "I got some flowers. I thought maybe, if you want, we could leave them on her grave?"

Nodding her agreement, Veronica smiled and answered, "Yeah, I'd like that."


End file.
